Paper-towel container.



G. A. AICHER & S. LAZAR. 1

PAPER TOWEL CONTAINER.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 3, 1913.

Patentd June 23, 1914,

VYZNES'SES 29m j/v/vgNTo/zs. 1

THEIR l-rrri' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAVE A. AICHER AND SOLOMON LAZAR, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PAPE -Town oon'ramnn.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Application filed December s, 1913'. Serial mi. 805,643.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, GUsrAvn A. AIoHER and SOLOMON LAZAR, citizens of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have jointly invented a new and useful Improve ment in Paper-TowelCont'aincrs, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to containers for paper towels and the like, said towels being interleaved in such a manner that one end or edge of the foremost towel is extending through a slot in the bottom of the container and the extraction of the lowermost towel will always extend the edge of the next towel through the same slot, and the object of our invention is to provide improved means for reducing the friction occasioned by the withdrawal of the towels. Ve accomplish this feature by means of the device illustrated in the drawings forming a part of the present specification, wherein like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout'the said specification and drawings, and in which Figure 1 is a sectional view of the preferred form of our container, disclosing the manner in which the pile of towels is supported upon rollers pivotally secured to the ends of the container. Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line XX of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrow. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a modified form of our invention wherein the supporting rollers are secured'to a reciprocating frame slidably mounted in grooves within each end of the container. sectional view taken on line YY of Fig. 3 disclosing the grooves in each end of the container for the support of the reciprocating frame.

The numeral 1 is used to designate a suitable box or container substantially rectangulaI in form having a suitable hinged cover 2. The container 1 is provided with the bottom strips 3 with an open space between. Hangers 4 are movably mounted within each end of the container 1 as at 5, the said hangers having horizontal portions 6 between the ends of which are rotatably mounted the rollers 7. The paper towels 8 rest on and are supportedby the rollers 7.

We are aware that heretofore paper towel containers have been used, wherein the container is provided with a central slot having rollers on each side thereof, for the pur- Fig. 4 is a vertical pose of reducing the friction occasioned by the weight of the towelswithin the container. But in such containers, that portion of the towels beyond the slot and the rollers, had to be withdrawn against the pressure due to the said weight of the towels resting thereon.

In the present invention we propose to remove the friction occasioned by the weight of the towels beyond the slot and the rollers, by practically moving the slot and rollers with the paper towel as it is being withdrawn. We accomplish this in the following manner: When the extended end of the paper towel 8 is pulled it rests against and .engages the roller 7 nearest to its crease. The said roller being pivotally secured to the container 1 is free to move in the direction from which the towel is being withdrawn and at the same time moves the hanger 4 and the opposite roller 7 in the same direction so that the pile of towels will not sag between the rollers. In this manner the friction occasioned by the weight of the towels beyond the rollers resting on the towel being withdrawn, is taken up by the roller as it moves in that direction and the towel is practically unrolled instead of being pulled from beneath the other towels. The opposite roller being also free to move readily, follows the engaged roller and at the same time supports the other portion of the pile of towels.

In Figs. 3 and 4 we have illustrated a modified form wherein the rollers are rotatably secured to a reciprocating frame 9 which is slidably mounted within transverse grooves 10 in each end of the container 1. As the extended end of the towel 8 is pulled, it engages the roller 7 nearest the crease, within the said towel and causes the said roller to travel in the direction from which the towel is being withdrawn and practically unrolls the towel from beneath the pile, the other roller meanwhile traveling in the same direction, and as it is free to rotate there is practically no resistance to its movementoccasioned by the weightof the towels thereon. Should both rollers 7 be moved to one side to such an extent that one side of the pile is left unsupported by the rollers, that side of the pile will rest on the corresponding ledge 34in the bottom of the container 1 and he supported thereby until the return of the said rollers 7 to a normal position beneath thccentcr of the pile.

beneath the pile. It is also evident that the slot follows the towel when the same is being removed.

Having this described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is .1. Apaper towel container comprising a rectangular box having bottom strips with a space between; rollers movably secured within the box and adapted to support paper towels therein and to move with a towel being withdrawn from the container; and means movably mounted within each end of the container and adapted to support the rollers.

2. A paper towel container comprising a rectangular box having bottom strips and an open space between the strips; a' hanger pivotally secured to each end of the containeu; and rollers rotatably secured to the hangers and adapted to support interleaved paper towels within the container and to move with one of the towels when the same is being withdrawn from the said container.

3. A paper towel container comprising a rectangular box having bottom strips and a space between the strips; a hanger pivotally secured within the box and to each end thereof; rollers rotatably secured to the lower ends of the hangers and adapted to support interleaved paper towels within the container and to move over the space be tween the bottom strips when the lower towel within the said container is being withdrawn therefrom.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our signatures in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAVE A. AICHER. SOLOMON LAZAR.

Witnesses W. B. REYNOLDS, S. W. NEWELL. 

